Let-off motion of power-looms



UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

WM. H. GRAY, OF DOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

LET-OFF MOTION OF POWER-LOOIVIS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 17,926, dated August 4, 1857.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, l/V. H. GRAY, of Dover, in the county of Strafford and State of New Hampshire, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Let-Off Motion of Power-Looms; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a vertical section taken parallel with the warp of a power loom fitted with my improved let-olf motion. Fig. 2 is a side view of the let-off motion looking in the opposite direction to that in which Fig. 1 is seen. Fig. 3 is a back view of the l principal parts of the let-O' motion.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

This invention consists in cert-ain novel means of effecting and controlling the letting off of the warp, whereby the `quantity let off is made positive and unvarying notwithstanding the constant variation in the quantity on the yarn beam, and therefore a uniform tension ofthe warp is maintained.k

A, is .one of the side frames of the loom. B, is the yarn beam having at one end a worm wheel C, geared with an endless screw a, on a horizontal shaft P, which is arranged in suitable bearings parallel with the sides of the loom. This shaft is fit-ted with a friction clutch D, E, of which the part D, is fitted to the shaft with a feather and groove so as to be capable of sliding longitudinally on but only turning with the shaft, and the other part E, is fitted to turn freely on the shaft.

The part D, of the clutch, is connected with a lever F, of the second order whose upper end is attached to a stationary fulcrum pin b, and whose lower end is caused by a spring that is concealedwithin a box c, on the shaft to keep in proximity to the peripherical surface of a double cam Gr, on the treading shaft H. The part E, of the clutch has att-ached to it three arms ci, e, f. The arm d, has a projection d, which faces a double cam I, on the shaft H, and on the other side a latch d, over which is situated the rear end of a bent lever J of the first order which works on a stationary fulcrum pin g The arm e, is fitted with a screw e, which is situated above the front arm of a lever K, of the rst order which works on `a stationary fulcrum i, secured in a bracket L, that is bolted to the frame A. This lever on the under side of the yarn beam, as

shown in Fig. 1. The arm f, is situated above the rear extremity of a lever M of the first order which works on a stationary fulcrum l. The front arln of this lever M, which has a weight attached to it is arranged to act as a pawl on a ratchet wheel m, secured upon the rear end of a horizontal shaft N, which is arranged in suitable bearings parallel with the frame E, and has at its front end an endless screw n, which gears with a worm wheel o, on one end of the take up roll O.

Q, is the lay.

R is the reed the lower rail 1", of which is `fitted to the lay so as to be capable of swinging back and attached by springs S, S, to the lay swords g, g.

T, is a bent lever of the first order working on a fulcrum t, secured in one of the lay swords, having itsupper end attached to t-he rail 1, and its lower end so arranged behind the upright front arm of the lever J, that, by the motion of the lay alone, the said lower end would not be caused to touch or at least not to move the lever J, but that by the slight swinging back of the reed that is permitted by thesprings S, S, when the weft is beaten up the said lever T, is caused to throw forward the upright arm of the lever J, and raise the rear end thereof.

The operation is as follows: Every time t the lay moves forward the cam I on the treading shaft H acts upon the part E of the clutch to turn it a little way in the direction of the arrow shown upon it in Fig. 3, and at that time the part D of the clutch is held in contact with the part E, by the action of the spring in the box o, which produces suiicient friction between D, and E, to cause the latter to turn the former and with it the shaft P, thus causing the endless screw a, to operate upon the wheel C, to turn the yarn beam to let off the warp yarn. By this movement of the part E of the clutch the latch d, is caused to pass the lever J, and be retained by said lever after the offset of the cam I, passes the arm d, thereby preventing the part E, of the cam returning before the clutch is uncoupled and thereby drawing back the shaft and causing the yarn letoff to be taken back again. Before the lay completes its forward movement, the cam Gr, by its action on the lever' F, to which the part D, of the clutch is attached, moves the said part D, out of contact with the part E, and leaves the latter free to move back in the opposite direction to the arrow shown in Fig. 3.V Then the liberation of the latch cl, from the lever J, is effected by the lifting of the said lever above the point of the said latch by the action of the lever T, on the upright part of the lever J, as the reed beats up the illing. The moving back of the part E, of the clutch is effected by the weight of the arms (Z, e, and is stopped by the screw e, on the arm e, which drops on to the lever K. As the lay commences its backward movement the offset of the cam G, passes the lever F, and allows the part E, of the cam to be thrown into contact with the part D, by t-he spring in the boX o, so that as the cam I, comes into operation upon the arm CZ, with the next forward movement of the lay the shaft l?, will be again turned to operate on the yarn beam tolet off the yarn. The same operation takes place at every movement, forth and back, of the lay, and every time the part E, of the clutch is turned by the cam I, in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 3, the arm f, is caused to depress the rear end of the lever M, and thus raise the opposite end of the said lever, which, working as a pawl into the teeth of the ratchet wheel M, turns the said ratchet wheel and with it the shaft N, and endless screw n, which acting on the wheel O, turns according as there is more or less yarn upon the beam D, to hold down the roller K, and thus permitting a less or greater movement of the part E of the clutch and consequently of the shaft P, whose movement in the other direction always ceases in an unvarying position.

The movement of the take up is not varied by the variation that is effected in the movement of the shaft P by the action of the lever K, as the lever M, is arranged so as not to be struck by the arm f, till after it has performed that part of its movement during which any variation takes place. This lever comes to rest with its weighted end on a stop u, attached to the frame A. The amount of let off can however be diminished or increased by screwing the screw e, upward or downward in the arm e.

That I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. The combination of the shaft P, the endless screw and worm wheel a, and C, or their equivalents; the friction clutch D, E, the arms CZ, e, attached to the friction clutch, the lever F, the cams Gr, and I, and the lever K, the whole arranged, applied and operating substantially as herein set forth for the purpose specified.

2. The combination of the latch d, attached to the loose portion E, of the friction clutch, the levers J, and T, operating as described to detain and liberate the said portion of the clutch substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

WVM. H. GRAY.

Witnesses:

ANDREW C. CHESLEY, JOI-1N W. KINGMAN. 

